I'M OFFICIALLY AN OLD-TIMER!

Hola familia!!!

I´m officially an old-timer here now. My district is the next group to leave for the mission field. I only have 2 and a half weeks left here, I´m getting so excited! And we get to watch all sessions of conference this Saturday and Sunday in ENGLISH (there are a lot of gringos here who are really happy about that, haha). We go out for proselitismo as usual and then we get back around 5:30 and then we watch the Saturday morning session after dinner, then the priesthood session right after that (it´s going to be a conference marathon). Then we watch the Saturday afternoon session on Sunday morning followed by lunch, then Sunday morning session, then dinner, then the Sunday evening session after dinner.

I got your package today with the candy and notebooks, thanks! I´m going to need the candy for conference snacks, hahaha. It´s good to hear from you all that you are all doing well. I enjoy reading your emails and seeing the pictures you send. I sent a memory card home in the mail and I hope it makes it to you alright. Let me know when you get it please.

Oh, before I forget... STARTING ON MONDAY, PLEASE HAVE EVERYONE SEND ME LETTERS TO THE MISSION FIELD ADDRESS, because I will be gone from the CCM before they get to me then.

I love you all and miss you and look forward to receiving letters from you. Also, my watch broke and I can´t fix it (and my alarm clock doesn´t work right either). Por favor, I mean please send a new one to the mission home for me (preferably just a watch with an alarm setting on it). I think that will work best. Also I might need a couple more Tide pens. Those things are really helpful here for us missionaries who have a hard time keeping our shirts clean. Gracias!


Alright for this week during proselitismo, we went back to the same area and we had 3citas planned. We started the day off by stopping by our first two citas (Violeta y Carolina) who either were not there or they gave us a false address. So it was dissappointing to start the day off with but we said a prayer and continued on. We didn´t have many people who would stop and listen to us though. It was a really tough morning in general, but then we had lunch and started again.

We said a prayer again and then around the next corner we saw a lady ahead, who called to us when she saw us saying ¨Elderes, Elderes, Venga conmigo¨ (which means, Elders, Elders, come with me). We were excited to have someone who wanted to talk with us! Her name was Hermana Silva, a member! She wanted us to come by her house and talk with her son who was a less active member. We were welcomed with smiles and great hospitality! Turns out that both Hermana Silva and her son Hermano Grosso had served missions in the US before and he knew a little English, but she knew none. He is divorced and has been having trouble with work. We were able to help him feel the spirit again and remember how the church had blessed his life in the past and gave him the address to the church because they didn´t have it because they only moved into the area 3 weeks ago.

I know that we were sent to that family to help them come back to church again. I got the chance to talk on the phone with Hermano Grosso yesterday and he said that they went to church and it was great! It feels really good to have made a difference in the life of someone here. We sang a hymn with them and then they asked me to leave them with a prayer for them and a blessing on their house.

It was a week of many firsts! First time in a house here, first time making follow up phone calls, and the first time singing and praying for a real family here. I´ve been blessed with many opportunities here to serve and I can´t wait for the ones soon to come.

I love you all and I must go soon. Sorry I didn´t have much time to write today. There are a lot of new missionaries here today who need to use the computer to let their families know that they are still alive, haha.

Hasta la proxima semana. I love you all, and Yes Colin, you can steal my room if you need to. Adios.

Amor
Elder Gardner